Incoming Fax Message to Email and Outgoing Email to Fax Message

[Meddane]

I would like to set up a solution about sending and receiving FAX. let's say, when an employee sends an email, the CME should convert this email into a FAX message and send out the FXO interface. When a FAX message in coming from outside, the CME should be able to convert it and send it to an email.

Is it possible to it with CME only? what are the requirements to set up this implemention?

Thanks

[Roger Kallberg]

I don’t think that this is possible with CME. Normally you would have a Fax over IP solution in-place for what you ask about.

[Nithin Eluvathingal]

Use third party applications like Imagicle.  thats your right solution   and they are available on Cisco GPL. 

[Meddane]

Can you elaborate please? Does imagicle with CME enough as the requirements?

[Nithin Eluvathingal]

Yeah thats enough, CME cant do what your requested. so we forward that to third party server.

create dial-peers on CME for your fax numbers pointing to Imagicle fax server. Thats enough.

Refer below link.. There are multiple products available in the market like Commsouth etc.. 

https://www.imagicle.com/en/resources/knowledge-base-results/#/kb/configuration-task-list_158.htmlhttps://www.imagicle.com/en/resources/knowledge-base-results/#/kb/configuration-task-list_158.html

[Meddane]

@Nithin EluvathingalThanks for your reply. Just to understand how it works, the imagicle fax server is responsible to convert the fax into email and vice versa, is it right?

[Nithin Eluvathingal]

Yes that’s correct 

[Meddane]

@Nithin Eluvathingal  so to summarize, When a FAX is coming from PSTN to CME, the CME will send it to imagicle fax server, the FAX server convert it into email and  then the email is sent out to the mail inbox of the user and vice versa?

[Nithin Eluvathingal]

You will create dial-peers pointing to FAX server from CME and if its CUCM I normally use Trunks.  Imagicle send the FAX as PDF attachment to recipient. to send FAX, send an email to configured mail format.

Administrator  can monitor  all the fax sent. you can easily track the fax send and received..  User will have a web gui where they can login and monitor their Faxes and even send fax from GUI. Its more user friendly than TCL script on CME. 

I would suggest to go with FAX server than TCL script. 

[Meddane]

Can we configure the fax server so that the email will be sent to external email server: for example @externaldomain.com if we dont have internal SMTP server?

[Nithin Eluvathingal]

All my deployments where with exchange server. Admin guide has mentioned gmail, i assume its possible with other mail servers too.

https://www.imagicle.com/en/resources/knowledge-base-results/#/kb/administrative-configuration_766.html

[Elliot Dierksen]

I don't know if it is still supported, but there was fax on-ramp (incoming fax to e-mail) and fax off-ramp (incoming e-mail to outgoing fax) support Cisco gateways. I had a customer using it years ago. The on-ramp if fairly easy. Off-ramp is harder because you will have to manipulate DNS MX records or transport rules in your mail server to get SMTP to deliver the message to outgoing gateway. The message would be addressed to 2025551212@faxgw.mycompany.com or something like that. There are dial peers needed in the gateway as well.

[Meddane]

What if we dont dont have internal server , does it work with gmail, yahoo mail and stuff like that?

[Elliot Dierksen]

I suppose it might be possible, but it would be very tricky. I wouldn't attempt it if you don't have an internal mail server.